1. Field of the Disclosure
Examples of the present disclosure are related to techniques for restricting a vehicle's movement or immobilizing a vehicle. More particularly, embodiments utilize safety signals of a charging port of an electric vehicle to restrict the vehicle's movement.
2. Background
Systems controlling the movement of electric and hybrid vehicles (referred to individually and collectively herein after as an “electric vehicles”) are simpler than the control systems of conventional combustion based vehicles. To control the movement of the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle's components, the electric vehicle's control system determines that an owner of the electric vehicle is authorized to use the electric vehicle. The determination may be based on any number of different types of authorized keys being engaged with the electric vehicle, such as a key being engaged in a lock of the electric vehicle, a key transmitting radio-frequency key signals to the electric vehicle, or an remote key being in close proximity to the electric vehicle. Responsive to authorizing a key being engaged with the electric vehicle, the owner of the electric vehicle may place the vehicle in gear, move the electric vehicle, and/or access the vehicle's components.
Situations may arise where an authorized key is engaged with the electric vehicle but the owner of the electric vehicle does not intend for the electric vehicle to be put into motion. For example, at a car show, showroom, park, or any other location where an authorized key may be engaged with the electric vehicle enabling the vehicle's components, an unknown, undesired, unauthorized. Additionally, situations may arise where a semi-authorized person may be in the electric vehicle's driver seat, where the semi-authorized person has been approved to access at least one of the vehicle's components but has not been approved to move the electric vehicle. While the semi-authorized person is in the electric vehicle's driver seat, this person may move the electric vehicle. Further, in other situations, a person in the electric vehicle's driver seat may not know that the electric vehicle can currently be moved, and may accidently put in gear and place the electric vehicle into motion, potentially leading to accidents.
Accordingly, needs exists for more effective and efficient methods and system to immobilize an electric vehicle while allowing access to the electric vehicle's components if wherein access may be granted to the electric vehicle's components it is determined that an authorized key is engaged with the electric vehicle.